Do You Live in a Food Desert? New Map Exposes Areas that Lack Fresh, Healthy Food: New Map Exposes Areas that La...

While your backyard probably isn’t covered in sand or cacti, you might be living in a desert: a food desert. Forget the mirages and rattlesnakes. This type of desert is about healthy, fresh food – or more accurately, a lack thereof. The Department of Agriculture just released a fantastic new online tool, the “Food Desert Locator ,” which allows you to see whether your community lacks access to affordable, fresh and healthy food. Most importantly, the locator helps policymakers and planners identify communities in which public-private intervention can significantly help families improve their health and nutrition through improved access to grocery stores, rather than corner stores selling overly-processed, unhealthy foods. See if your community is a food desert at the USDA's site . We know that nutrition-related health problems have skyrocketed across the country. According...